I swallowed. “Yeah. That’s her.”
“Well, a word of advice. Try not to break her heart. It sucks.”
I felt a momentary pang of guilt for what I had done. Whatever she was, whatever her past was about, I did believe her affection for Eli was real. “Look, Shelby…”
She put her hand on my arm. “No, it’s okay, Jackson. I know you have no reason to believe this, but I was going to tell him everything yesterday. I truly was. And once he realized how much I had lied to him, he probably wasn’t going to believe the truth anyway. So I still would have ended up here today. I needed a miracle and thought I’d found one. But I should have known God wouldn’t be bothered to waste his time on a miracle for someone like me.”
“You’re going home?” I wasn’t sure why I asked. It only made sense to return to the place you came from.
But she was shaking her head. “Nah. I’m never going back there again. The return flight was always to Seattle. I’ll start there. We’ll see.”
Our attention shifted to the Cessna as it came in for a landing tilting right then left until the wheels touched the ground.
Shelby picked up her duffel bag and started toward the plane as it slowed to a stop.
I was frozen. There was no guarantee she would follow through and come. No guarantee she was sitting in the back of that plane right now. The door swung open and Doogie hopped out. Then he dropped the step ladder.
Could be for Shelby, I thought. The ladder.
Then I saw her head pop out and she was looking around with her jaw open. A common reaction most people had to seeing Alaska for the first time. Especially given that she was from Arizona.
I took her in for a minute. Dark, long hair, near olive complexion. The deepest golden-brown eyes I had ever seen. In the photo she’d sent with her profile, she’d been beautiful.
But I didn’t need a photo to know that.
I swallowed as she took the few steps down to the runway, a large backpack hooked over her shoulders. She was tall. Maybe only six inches shorter than I was at six-three. I had liked that about her back then. To me she always had this Amazonian vibe. Like if she spun around a few times, she might turn into a superhero.
“She sure is pretty,” Shelby said, breaking me away from the spell that was Kate Lazio. “Good luck, Jackson. I mean that. But I’ll give you one more piece of advice, and that is to talk to her with actual words. All that grunting you do, she’s going to think she’s on date with a bear.”
I grunted.
Then I watched as Shelby walked away, her chin high even though her shoulders were slumped. I heard her say, “Welcome to Hope’s Point,” then she pointed back to me. She leaned in to say something to Kate and for a moment, I stiffened wondering what it could be.
Then Kate’s head dropped back, and she barked out a deep, throaty laugh. When she looked over at me, she smiled.
I held my breath for a beat.
One.
Two.
Three.
She walked toward me with her hand held out and I reached to shake hers, too.
“You must be Jackson Young. I’m Kate Lazio, nice to meet you.”
I released my breath.Good, I thought. She didn’t remember me at all. My size, the beard. It made sense. This was going to work out perfectly.
“Nice to meet you, too, Kate.” We turned as Shelby got into the plane and Doogie lifted the step ladder inside.
I lifted my chin in Shelby’s direction. “What did she say that was so funny?”
She smiled. “She told me not to worry. That you might look pretty ferocious, but you didn’t bite.” She paused, then added. “Just grunted a lot.”
I grunted.
Which only made her laugh harder.
